Home
by khughes830
Summary: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Who knew that it would be David Wallace of all people to shake Jim awake. Post ep The Job, Season 3


**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish it were so, none of the character of _The Office_ belong to me. They belong to people much more successful than myself. I just enjoy playing with them every once in a while!

**A/N: **This was born out of a coincidence - I was listening to _Home_ by Daughtry and reading some JAM at the same time. The song just screamed to have a story written for it using our favorite salesman and receptionist. All chapter titles come for the lyrics to that song. This is a 9 chapter story, but I wrote it all in one document. Instead of taking the time to break it up, I'm just posting it as one long thing here. I'll do my best to get it seperated out for you all! It's been forever since I've posted anything... not that Jim and Pam were giving me a lot to work with until that rockin' season finale! Anyway, hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading! BTW, spoilers for The Job and other such parts of season 3.

* * *

**To the place where I belong**

"So, where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

It was like David Wallace and corporate and New York had disappeared. He fingered the gold yogurt lid and closed his eyes for a moment. It all came rushing back to him, everything that he had been pushing to the back of his brain for a year.

Flonkerton. _"I think we broke his brain."_ Her sitting on his bed, looking through his yearbook. _"I feel God in this Chili's tonight."_ Jinx. A black cat costume. _Threat Level: Midnight._ Palm reading. _"Dwight Schrute Privates."_ A brilliant CIA operative prank she had concocted just for him. _Legally Blonde._ The way her dress felt under his hands. The way her lips felt on his. The look of utter sadness at Phyllis' wedding. _"I called off my wedding because of you, Jim."_

"Jim?"

His eyes flew open and he was back here, at place he didn't recognize. A place that didn't feel right and probably never would.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wallace. What was the question?"

"I asked you where you see yourself in 10 years."

And it was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "With her."

David Wallace shook his head. "I'm sorry. With who?"

Jim shoved her note and that priceless yogurt lid into his bag and stood up, shocking David Wallace. Jim extended his hand across the desk. "I appreciate the opportunity. I really do. But this… I can't… this place isn't me and I'd be fooling myself if I even thought that I could make it work here. Hire Karen. She's corporate. I'm Scranton."

David nodded and shook his hand. "You sure?"

Jim just nodded. "More than ever." David gave him a slight smile and nodded. Jim grabbed his bag off the floor and bolted out of the office, heading toward the one place he had been avoiding for a year.

* * *

**I don't regret this life I chose for me**

He took a deep breath as he walked out of corporate, shoving his hands in his pants. He knew he should go find Karen right now, try to explain. She was going to hate him. That was a given. Up until about 15 minutes ago, they were making plans, moving forward. He merged with the crowd on the sidewalk and started to walk.

Yeah, he knew the subway would be faster. She had told him how to get from corporate to where she was meeting her friends, but he couldn't do it, not yet. Plus, she would immediately try to make him regret what he had done by walking out of the interview. Not that he would. Walking out on David Wallace was the first honest thing he had done in over a year. He sure as hell wasn't going to take that back.

The only thing he was going to regret was dragging her into this. She didn't deserve this. She deserved better than to have been his Pam-buffer for the last 6 months. In another time, another place, he would have been in love with her instantly. She was sassy and smart and beautiful, for sure. If he could go back and time and do that moment over, he would have been honest with her, told her all about why he really left Scranton.

Jim stopped for a moment to look at a sidewalk artist painting the hustle and bustle. _"Why didn't any of you come to my art show? I invited all of you. That really sucked."_

That he regretted. It was an epic battle, that night. He wanted to go. He knew she needed the support, but Karen fought him and fought him until she had broken him. His mind was screaming at him then that this wasn't working, that he was starting to sacrifice himself. The real Jim would have never ditched a friend in need. Never. But this new evolved Jim… Real Jim didn't like him very much, with his new car and expensive suits and corporate title.

As he walked through the streets of New York City, he knew that this was going to be hard, but pretending to be this guy was exhausting and frustrating. He just wanted to be back, to be him again. _"I wish you would." _Those four words had been resonating with him for a week.

He turned the corner and looked through the window of the trendy little coffee shop Karen told him to meet him at when texted him earlier. He sat there, watching her with her friends drinking their venti triple non-fat mocha lattes, knowing that living with regrets only made living harder. With a deep breath, he pushed through the doors.

* * *

**I've not always been the best friend or man for you**

She shot out of her chair as soon as he pushed through the door, a huge smile on her face. _I am such an asshole_ he thought as she wound her way through the tables.

"How did it go?" she asked as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He quickly turned so she got his cheek. She recoiled immediately. _Yup. Big, giant, world class asshole._

"Can I talk to you for a second?" God, he hated those words with a passion. Everything always exploded when he said those words. She immediately crossed her arms over chest and he suddenly felt the attention of all her friends across the room. He leaned into her. "Outside?"

She pushed past him and out the door. He glanced over his shoulder to see her friends glaring at him. _Well, it's a good thing they already don't like me _he thought as he followed Karen.

"What's going on?" she spit out at him as soon as he got through the door.

Jim took a deep breath, readying himself. "I just… I can't… I withdrew my name from consideration."

"Why the hell did you do that?"

_Oh, this was not going to go well at all. _"Look, Karen…" She started to laugh. And not a good laugh. It was that type of laugh that women do right before they are ready to rip you a brand new one. "He just… he asked me where I saw myself in ten years and I…"

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed at him, pushing him back against the brick wall of the coffee shop. He just watched as she paced back and forth in front of him. She finally stopped and looked at him. "How did you answer the question?"

"What?"

"The question. Where do you see yourself in ten years? What was your answer?"

He knew lying wasn't an option. She deserved the brutal truth at least once. "I said with her." Karen just shook her head. "And I'm assuming that I'm not the 'her' you were referring to." Jim shook his head slightly and looked at the ground.

"You really are a world class bastard, Halpert."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you really know? I gave up my life for you. My friends thought I was crazy to follow some barely there guy to Scranton, of all places. I told them you were worth it, that you were looking to finally make something of yourself. When I told them that we were moving to the city, that we were moving on, they all finally stopped looking at me like I had lost my fucking mind. And now… what the hell happened to all the plans we were making LAST NIGHT!?!"

"Karen, I'm so sorry, but this… it's not me. I haven't been me for such a long time and I'm so tired. The job isn't me. This city isn't me. This haircut isn't me. I just… I prefer…"

"Simple and boring in a pink cardigan?"

"Stop it. Be pissed at me all you want. This isn't her fault."

"Sure it is. If she hadn't opened her fucking mouth at the beach last week, then…"

"I would have realized this eventually, Karen. Isn't it better that it's now than in 6 months when it's harder because the life we built together?" She just shook her head and looked down the street.

"Look, Karen, you deserve better than me."

"No shit" she shot back at him.

"I should have been honest with you back in Stamford. I should have been honest with all those nights we had those long talks. I was wrong then. I'm just being honest with you now." She still stared down the street, refusing to look at him, tears falling down her face.

"Are you in love with her?"

"Yes."

"Well that's that then, huh." She finally looked him and her face made his heart break. He bit his lip and nodded. "Do you want a ride or…" She just shook her head. "No, I think I'm going to stay here for the weekend. Besides, the last thing I want is to be stuck in a car with you for a couple of hours."

He watched as she walked away. As she opened the door, she looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Not that you deserve this, but she loves you too. And no, she never said anything to me other than what she said was a 'misunderstanding of the question' but it's written all over her face every time she looks at you."

"Will you be back on Monday?"

"I don't know." And with that, she was gone. He knew he should get the hell out of there before her friends came out to lynch him. He took a deep breath and, for the first time in a year, finally felt like real Jim again.

* * *

**The closer I get to you**

_Welcome to Pennsylvania_

Jim exhaled deeply. He had been holding his breath since he pulled out of the hotel's parking garage. He had watched Karen through the window for a few moments before her super scary friend Amanda noticed him and got up from the table. That's when he finally walked away.

It was harder to walk away from Karen than he thought it would be. He had spent the last six months with her, doing his best to move on with his life. Who knew that it would be David Wallace, of all people, to make him realize that there was no moving on from Pam? She held his heart. She had from the first day she had walked into the office.

_He was on the phone when he heard the door open. Without a receptionist, he tried to be the first to greet visitors otherwise Michael or Dwight would be their first impression of Dunder Mifflin. He lost his words as she rounded the corner, looking shy and a little nervous with her gorgeous brown eyes and pale skin. He was captivated. He quickly hung up his phone when he noticed Dwight notice her and shot up out of his chair. _

"_Can I help you?"_

_She looked at him and seemed to relax. "Um… yeah. Are you Michael?"_

_Jim laughed a little more than he should have since she didn't get the joke. "No. Sorry. No. Jim Halpert" he said, extending his hand to her._

"_Pam Beasley. I'm the new receptionist." Her hand fit perfectly into his and he was gone. _

He pushed down on the gas just a little harder as he dug his cell out of his pocket. He glanced down as he scrolled through the numbers till he got the one he needed – Drew, one of the camera operators.

"Drew, hey, its Jim…. Yeah, no… I just… I don't really want to explain over the phone. I need a favor. Yeah. OK, I'll be back in like 40 minutes. Don't let Pam leave. I'll owe you big time if you can keep her there for me…. Doesn't matter to me. Get creative. Thanks, man."

He dropped his phone into the passenger seat and sped toward Scranton.

* * *

**You always seem to give me another try**

He was out of the car before it had completely stopped. He was relieved to see her car still in the parking lot. He took the stairs two at a time, deciding that the elevator was going to be too slow today. Funny, he thought as he ran up the steps. Usually the elevator moved too fast for his liking and today, he knew there was no way it would move fast enough.

As he emerged out of the stairwell, he about ran over Phyllis and Bob Vance. She grabbed onto him to keep from falling.

"Jim?"

"Oh God. Sorry. Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

He took a deep breath. "I just… I couldn't… it was…" He was struggling to find the words. Phyllis smiled widely at him and winked, leaning in closer.

"She's doing her talking head." Phyllis squeezed his arm and let him go, giving him a slight push toward the offices.

No one was paying attention to him as he walked in, so he headed straight for the conference room, throwing open the door.

"Pam… sorry." She looked shocked to see him, like she wasn't expecting him to be there. He smiled slightly, happy that he had surprised her. That look on her face gave him the confidence he needed to finally do this.

"Um… are you free for dinner tonight?"

"Yes."

Who knew one little word could cause things to shift? "Alright. Then… it's a date." He gave her one last look and then shut the door, exhaling the breath he had been holding since opening the door. Then he heard "I'm sorry. What was the question?" from inside the room and he smiled brighter than he had in some time.

He sat down at his old desk and ran his hands over the desktop. He glanced toward reception and he knew… he was moving back here first thing Monday morning. He heard the door open behind him and he swiveled around in his chair. She smiled brightly at him as she walked out of the conference room and came over to him, leaning against his desk. Like old times.

"I'll have you know I skipped lunch so I hope you're ready to spend some serious cash tonight. I'm talking appetizers AND dessert."

Jim shrugged. "Well, I may not be making corporate money, but I think I can manage."

Her face grew serious. "Did you… I mean, I guess that… I just… I didn't think David Wallace would make a decision so soon, so…"

"He didn't. I withdrew my name."

"Why?"

"Because he asked me where I saw myself in ten years and… well, let's just say, it wasn't there."

She swallowed hard. "Did Karen… I mean, I guess if…"

Jim shrugged. "I don't know. I told David to hire her, but I can't imagine I would be the first person to find out, you know?"

That was all Pam needed. They could talk more about it later. They had to talk about it all, but not now. Now she wanted to bask in this moment.

"Well, Michael's already gone for the day. Something about Jan and spandex. I really didn't get it all. So I was going to… I mean, I want to change and…" Her nervousness made her even more adorable to him.

"Yeah, go. I won't be here much longer either. I'll pick you up at 7?" Pam nodded and started to walk away from him. She turned and came back, almost standing on top of him.

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything" he replied.

"Redo your hair before you pick me up" she said, running her fingers through his hair. "I prefer it the other way." And all he could do is watch her gather up her things and walk out the door. She left him with one last brilliant smile and walked out the door. Jim sent up a silent prayer, thanking God for another chance to finally get this right.

* * *

**Feeling good don't ever cost a thing**

She was never one of those girls who spent hours in front of the mirror, analyzing how they looked or how they could look better. For years, it really didn't matter. Roy didn't seem to care much about how she looked when they went out. And then after Roy, it didn't matter because she went to work and came home. Tonight was the first night in a long time she pulled out the entire makeup bag. Tonight she dug out the "Kelly" shirt from the back of her closet. She knew tonight meant something. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Tonight was a threshold that she thought she would never get to cross.

**&&&**

He had been walking up and down the aisles for much longer than he should have. If he did one more lap, he would be able to get a job here. He wanted to do something. A bouquet of flowers seemed silly. A box of chocolates seemed cliché. He wanted to mark the moment somehow. He had finally starting feeling like himself the moment he asked her if she was free for dinner tonight. He wanted to show her that he was all the way back because Real Jim did sweet things for her. Dick Jim would have ignored this moment and let it pass them by, but he left that guy in David Wallace's office. It finally hit him – sweet but understated. Jim shoved his hands in his pocket and headed back across the store.

**&&&**

Her doorbell rang at 7:02, just as she was applying her last layer of lip gloss. She fluffed her hair in the mirror one last time before answering the door.

She took his breathe away as she opened the door, in her new red shirt and black Capri pants. A feeling washed over him that he couldn't explain if he were pressed to. It was like he knew in that instant – _this is the last first date I will ever have._ And that thought made him feel like a brand new man.

"You're late" she said, smiling.

"I come bearing gifts."

"You better for being two minutes late." And he produced the single white rose from behind his back and handed it to her.

"Nice" she said, giggling as she took it from him. He watched as she closed her eyes and held the flower up to her nose, inhaling its scent. He was captivated by that simple movement that he found himself moving before he knew what was happening.

Suddenly he was on top of her, her face cradled in his hands, his lips on hers before she could react. She found herself surrounded by him and she let herself go, relaxing into his arms, relishing the way his mouth moved over hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They lost themselves in each other and as she swiped her tongue along his lower lip, he knew there was no turning back from this.

Jim kicked the door closed and turned her, pressing her against the door, kissing her with everything he had inside of him. He groaned as she ran her fingers through his hair, mussing it more than he had before he left his apartment. She sighed as he slightly slipped his hand under her shirt, resting his palm on the small of her back. She pulled him closer, needing him closer but knowing that things were quickly spiraling out of control.

It was like he could read her mind because just as she thought that, he started to pull back, giving her one last peck before pulling away.

"Hi" he said softly.

"Hello to you too."

"Sorry about that."

"I'm not. But we should probably…" He smiled and nodded, stepping back from her. She laughed and ran her fingers over his mouth. "That's a good color on you" she said, wiping her gloss off with her finger. He grabbed her wrist and pressed a light kiss onto her palm. They locked eyes with each other, letting the silence speak for them.

Finally, she cleared her throat. "OK, I'm going to…" He nodded and released her arm. He scanned her apartment as she filled a small vase for the flower and ran into the bathroom to put more lip gloss on.

Finally, she emerged. "You ready?"

"Yeah, we should probably get out of here."

She just nodded and they headed out. As they walked to Jim's car, he slipped his hand into hers, lacing his fingers through hers. That feeling was one that she hoped to keep feeling for a very long time.

* * *

**Be Careful What You Wish For**

It was a comfortable silence. They both knew that the giant purple elephant in the back seat would need to be dealt with eventually, just not right off the bat. It was like an unspoken agreement – just not yet.

She sighed to herself as he rested his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the parking lot of the local pub they had agreed on. She leaned into him as he slipped his arm around her shoulder as they waited for the hostess to come greet them. No matter what had happened, no matter what got said, she knew they would work past it, work through it and come out on the other side together.

**&&&**

"So… okay… wait… SECRET assistant to the regional manager?"

"Oh yes" she said, running her fingers along the pilsner that sat in front of her.

"And what exactly does that entail?"

"Basically, from what I gathered, everything I'm doing now plus some covert after-hours operations."

"Such as?"

"Digging through Andy's garbage. Finding out what Creed really does at night. Stuff like that."

"Nice. The things I miss when I'm gone."

"You have no idea" she said, reaching across the table, resting her finger tips on his arm. The way she was staring at him… the waiter appeared with their food at just the right moment. She smiled shyly at him and recoiled her arm as the food was sat in front of them.

**&&&**

He popped a fry into his mouth. "So the black was?"

"A managerial tactic."

"And the soil presentation was?"

"Educational."

"Okay then."

**&&&**

She took a deep breath as they walked out of the restaurant. Jim watched as she closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky.

"Enjoy it while you can, Beasley, cause it will be hotter than hell soon enough."

"Let's walk" she said. He nodded and fell into step beside her; hands shoved into his pockets, letting her lead the way. They were silent as they wound their way through the streets, toward the river walk.

As they reached the river, she leaned against the wrought iron fence, looking across the water. Jim leaned back against the fence, looking toward the city. He knew this conversation was coming. It was about four years overdue.

"Why now?" If he hadn't been waiting for her to say something, he would have missed it.

"What?" She turned her head toward him. "Why now? I spent all day convincing myself and anyone that would listen that I would be fine if you took the job and left again, for good this time. And then… all of a sudden… you're back and asking me out for dinner and… here we are." He sighed. "Something you said at the beach last week… well, I haven't been able to get it out of my head."

"I said a lot of things that night."

"Yeah, but this… who knew four little words would make such a dramatic impact."

She smiled up at him slightly. "It was five for me." And that's the first time either one of them had ever referenced Casino Night. He turned and mimicked her position, looking out across the river.

"It was 'I wish you would'." Pam nodded. "Here I was, trying to figure out how to get me back and… BAM! Four little words that have no impact unless they are strung together in that exact order, being said by you. I was sitting there, watching Jan implode because she was so miserable with her life and her job. And those words kept coming through as I watched her cuss out David Wallace and say goodbye to Hunter. I don't know… I was sitting there with a hair cut I hated, waiting to interview for a job I never wanted in a city I never once thought I would ever live in. Nothing was making sense expect for those four words."

He shifted his eyes over to her and noticed a tear running down her face. He wanted nothing more than to wipe it away and protect her from the hurt, but they had to get past this. If they ever stood a chance, it all had to be put out there. He turned and leaned against the fence, arms crossed.

Pam inhaled deeply, dropping her head. "Jim, I'm so sorry."

"Pam, you don't have to…"

She turned quickly to face him. "Yes. Yes I do. I have to say this." He nodded and closed his mouth. "What you said last year… you were so brave. You just… you put it out there. You took a huge risk but you did what you had to do. God. If I could have been half as brave as you last year, this whole year would have been so different." She looked him directly in the eye. "But that me… the person I was a year ago… I wasn't brave. I was set in my life. I never expected that curve ball from you so I didn't know what to do with it. I had been having an internal battle with myself for months before that and then you… I didn't know what do with all that. So I retreated. It's what I did. I did what made me feel safe and that… well, back then that was Roy."

Jim reached his hand out to touch her. "Pam, I…" But then he saw fire behind her eyes and he quickly pulled it back.

"But you left. You were just… gone. No warning. No notice. You just disappeared. I had to hear from Dwight… DWIGHT of all fucking people… that you had transferred. You should have seen the little happy dance he did while I felt my world falling apart. It literally made me sick."

"You didn't call me when you called off the wedding."

"And say what, Jim? 'Hey, I know you took off when I didn't immediately tell you that I loved you back, but I'm a single gal in the city now. You interested?' You left. What was I supposed to think?"

He knew this was taking a dangerous turn, but it had to be done. "I couldn't be here, Pam! I had watched you with him for as long as I could. I had had enough of watching you go home with him while I went home alone to think about how you should have been with me instead. I couldn't do it anymore. For my sanity, I just couldn't."

The tears fell down her face. "And then… then you come back, but you're… you weren't you. You ignored me. Blew me off. You were with Karen and I… it was so hard, Jim. If you felt half as bad back then as I felt for the last 6 months…" He just nodded.

"Pam, you have to understand. Karen's great. Really. She didn't deserve to be put in the middle of this, but I needed that buffer. When I found out about the merger… I knew I had to put some distance between… us. I didn't know how it was going to be and I couldn't go back. Moving up there… not seeing you everyday was the hardest thing I had ever done. But, I got used to it. I thought I could move on. But then the merger happened and I didn't want to slip. Karen helped me not slip."

She laughed and looked out at the water. "Trust me, I know all about slipping. Slipping backwards is the worst thing you can do."

He rested his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I wanted to chase after you that night. I wanted to grab you in the parking lot and…"

She looked up at him, eyes bright. "I wish you would have. I wanted that too." They just stared at each other and he watched as her eyes watered again. She sniffled. "You didn't come to my art show."

He dropped his head and nodded slowly. "I know. God, Pam. I wanted to be there for you so badly. I was so proud of you when I saw that flyer. I wanted to come and support you and see what you were doing, but… it was an epic battle that night. I was trying to make it work back then. How dumb was I?"

She laughed. "Oh, I think we both have the market corner on dumb, don't you think?" He smiled as she rested her hand on his and took a step closer to him. He lightly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath then she looked back up at him. "If I could build a time machine right now, what would you go back and do differently?

He pulled her closer until there was no space between them. He gently traced her jaw line with his fingers before dropping his other arm around her. "I would go back and kiss you senseless on the Booze Cruise like I wanted to. You?"

She rested her hands on his chest, gently scratching him with her nails. "I would have let you kiss me that second time on Casino Night. I wouldn't have pushed you away. I would have let you…" She trailed off and he saw a different kind of fire in her eyes. It was the kind of fire he had always wished to see in her eyes when she looked at him.

Neither one really knew who initiated that kiss, but the moment their lips met, they were lost to each other. Jim turned them and trapped Pam between him and fence, leaning into her, kissing her with everything he had in his soul. She weaved her fingers through his hair as his tongue traced her lips and moaned as their tongues started a slow, sensual duel with each other. She slammed her eyes shut as he kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck to her exposed clavicle. She gasped as he placed light kisses along the exposed skin and started to outline the v in her shirt. She grabbed his face and pulled him back to her eye level. Both were panting. "Let's get out of here" she whispered. He nodded and pulled her in for one last kiss before grabbing her hand to head back to the car.

* * *

**Cause you might just get it all**

She leaned back against the car door as he turned off the ignition. The air between them had been super charged since they had left the river walk and it had only increased on the 20 minute drive back to her apartment.

"You want to come up for some coffee?" she asked quietly. She watched as his jaw stiffened and she grinned slightly. He turned toward her and nodded. She nodded back and they both exited the car.

His presence behind her was distracting and exciting all at the same time. She quickly dug her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door to her apartment, letting Jim enter first. She quietly shut the door and dropped her purse on the floor. The only light was emanating from the small lamp next to the couch that she had turned on before she left. It bathed the room, and them, in a subdued, sensual light.

He turned and looked at her. "Um… yeah, so… coffee?" Pam smiled and shrugged. "Oh yeah. I don't have coffee." She pushed herself away from the door and walked over to where he stood, standing toe to toe with him, as close to him as she could be without touching him.

He gulped. "Oh… umm… then what am I doing here?"

She cocked her eyebrow at him. "What do you want to be doing here?"

"What are you doing?" he asked his face as serious as it had been all night.

"Trying to be honest. Asking for what I want. It's Fancy New Beasley. You don't like Fancy New Beasley?"

He quickly shook his head. "No. Not at all. I… I love Fancy New Beasley."

She sighed. "I wish I could say the same for Fancy New Halpert. I'm not exactly a fan." He smiled at her. "It's a good thing that Fancy New Halpert got ditched in New York then, huh."

"That is a good thing. I much prefer Old School Jim to Fancy New Halpert."

"Do you now?"

"Oh yes. Some could even say that I love Old School Jim." He froze. He had always hoped to hear those words come out of her mouth, but he… he knew he didn't want any misunderstandings, any confusion. This… them… it was too important to not know for sure.

"Who could say that, Pam?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, but quickly opened them, locking with his. "Me, for one. I'm sorry it took me so long to reply, Jim. But I do love you."

"Say it again" he whispered.

She hooked her fingers into his belt loops and pulled him flush to her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her. "I love you. Now kiss me."

His lips were on hers as she finished the sentence. He walked them backwards until her back hit the door. She moaned loudly as he wrapped her up tightly in his arms, pressing against her in the singularly exquisite way. She slipped her hands around his back and under his shirt. The moment that her hands hit his bare skin, she needed more.

Desperately, she started to push his shirt up until he pulled back and ripped it up and over his head, throwing it over his shoulder. Her eyes roamed his chest and broad shoulders. She smiled widely as her eyes reached his.

"Nice" she said, reaching for him, but he swatted her hands away. "Turn a bouts fair play, Beasley" he said, motioning to her shirt. She smiled wickedly at him and quickly pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it across the room. The smile disappeared from his face as his eyes roamed over her, taking in every inch of her. "God, Pam…" he said as he looked back at her. She exhaled deeply and motioned for him to come back to her.

He wrapped his arms around her, relishing in the feel of her skin against his. He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Pam, you need to… I don't want to… just tell me how far to go, when to stop. I want to be with you, but…"

She shook her head. "There's no stopping Jim. I want… I want it all." He furrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? I don't want… I don't want you to feel rushed." She giggled. "Jim, we've been in hellishly slow burn for four years. There's no waiting for me. And you either" she said as she grabbed his hips and slammed them into hers. He gasped loudly as she leaned her head back and ground her hips into his. He walked them backwards toward the wall as he attached his lips to her neck, enjoying the sounds she made as he worked his way up and down that expanse of skin. She hooked her right leg around him and he grabbed her, lifting her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Bedroom" she whispered into his ear and he spun them around and started across the apartment.

He could barely focus as she traced his ear with her tongue, so he was thankful this apartment was rather small. He sat down on the bed with her in his lap and he attached his lips to hers. They were hungry for each other and it was reflected in those kisses. He quickly discarded her bra and started to kiss down her neck and across her chest. She wound her fingers through his hair and held on for her life, letting him take her wherever he wanted. She gasped and moaned as he worked his way from breast to the other and then back again. With each flick of his tongue, with each light kiss on her skin, the fire inside of her grew and grew. She tightened her legs around him and moved against him, feeling him and his need for her.

She had never felt this primal need for anyone before and she felt like she might explode when Jim finally fell back and turned them over. She reached up for him, but he pushed her back onto the bed, sliding his fingers over her lips. She closed her eyes as he ran his fingers down her torso. He made quick work of her pants and slowly slid her panties down her legs. Her eyes snapped open as she heard his pants hit the floor and she watched as he smiled up at her as his fingers danced lightly up her legs until he slipped on hand between her legs. That tiny amount of pressure caused her to slam her eyes shut and buck her hips up off the bed.

"Oh. God. Jim" she panted out.

"Jesus Pam" he replied. She reached out blindly for him, clawing at his shoulders as he climbed up her slowly, resting on his forearms, kissing her lightly.

"Now Jim."

"Are you sure? I didn't really… I don't want to…"

"Yes. Now. Right now."

"I don't have…"

"Pill. Now." She was panting heavily.

"Look at me" he whispered and she opened her eyes. "I love you Pam. I just want you to know that…" She could see all the emotion behind his eyes, all the emotion that she had been convinced was all gone this afternoon. She rested her hand on his cheek and ran her thumb across his lips.

"I know Jim. I know it all. I always have. I love you too and…" But there was no finishing that sentence as she cried out loudly as he slid into her. They lay there for a moment, staring at each other, knowing that this was the moment… that this was it. But soon, they were lost to each other, grinding against each other, moaning and whispering the others' name. He held her tightly as she shuddered against him, quickly following behind. They lay wrapped around each other as the came down. He finally moved when he felt her shiver. They crawled under the covers and Pam wrapped herself around him, kissing him lightly up and down his neck.

"Why Miss Beasley? I had no idea." She giggled as she rolled on top of him. "I say we try that again, but slower this time" she said as she pulled the covers up and over their heads.

* * *

**So I'm going home**

He stretched his arms over his head as he started to pry his arms open. He was exhausted and spent, but in the best way possible. It was like they had been making up for lost time last night. They spent hours discovering each other, finding out what pleased the other.

He felt her start to stir, since she basically slept on top of him. He laughed as she buried her head in his chest. She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

"What time is it?" He glanced over at her clock. "A little after 9."

"Too early" she replied, burying her head back into his chest. He laughed again and rolled her over, depositing her on the bed. "Yes, I will agree. It feels very early but I have to…" he motioned toward the hallway. Her response was the pull the covers back over her head, so he took that chance to grab his boxers off the floor and head toward the bathroom.

As he reached the doorway, he heard his name and smiled as she emerged from the covers. "You're… you're coming back, right?" He didn't think he could possibly love her anymore.

"Please. I'm totally hard to get rid of. Plus, while you may be a fan of this" he said, motioning to his current state of undress "I would prefer to not become Scranton eye candy."

"Bring me some water on your way back?"

"Yes dear" he replied as he shut the bathroom door.

&&&

While the weekend was as close to perfect as it could be, life after that was… well, it was life. Life is never perfect, not even for Jim and Pam.

Karen arrived just late enough to make an entrance on Monday morning. She made a big show about coming and walking to her desk. Jim figured she had had a weekend of alcohol and Jim/Pam bashing and was fired up about coming back to the two of them. They tried to be low key, but even when they walked past each other, she was there, huffing and puffing and calling attention to the two of them.

That lasted all of three days before Pam and Karen finally came to blows in the break room on Wednesday afternoon. Michael hid in his office while Toby tried to diffuse the situation, but they had things that they needed to say to each other. Karen was on her way out – Josh had offered her a job at Staples Corporate – but she wanted to make it clear to everyone that she was not slinking away as the jilted woman. And that she did. There was no going away party for Karen. Hell, no one even made a peep when she left early on her last day.

And there were fights. You would think it by looking at them, but Jim and Pam could fight with the best of them. They didn't happen very often, but when they did, everyone around them needed to hold on with both hands.

There was the huge blow up in the parking lot the day they registered with HR. Since Jim was technically Pam's boss, it became a much bigger deal than either of them wanted it to be. A mixture of Michael bitching at Toby, Michael making comments about the two of them and her lack of sleep lead to a fight in the parking lot. No one dared leave the building until they had both left for the day.

Then there was the night Jim tried to surprise Pam after her art class only to find her sitting with Roy. She said she hadn't lied, she just hadn't told him that Roy wanted to see. Jim claimed it was the same thing. Pam swore that it was nothing – he was moving and wanted to say goodbye before he went. They yelled at each other about four years of pent up hurt feelings until their voices were raw and they fell asleep on the couch.

Then there was the marathon fight – it started the night of the convention. Pam wanted to hear his voice before she went to sleep, since he was going to be gone for three days. She didn't expect that Karen, of all people, would answer his phone. He immediately called her back – they ran into her and Josh, the two of them talked, they made peace and they all, as a big group, went to get drinks. Jim had gone to the bathroom and Karen answered the phone. Hearing her voice brought back all the old insecurities that had plagued her for a year – should he be with her instead, would he be happier, was he going to regret giving her up? They fought for days and days about that.

But no one ever really worried about the fights. It was Jim and Pam. They always found their way out the other side with each other.

&&&

Jim proposed on a non-descript day about 6 months after that first date. For anyone else, people would have said "that's way too fast", but this was Jim and Pam. Most people thought "it's about damn time" except for Creed who asked about that girl he had had a crush on for years.

Then, one morning, one non-descript, regular Monday morning, neither Jim or Pam showed for work. Dwight huffed and puffed, claiming that he was now number 2, since Jim had shirked his responsibilities. It wasn't until Phyllis opened her email. There was one picture – Jim and Pam on a beach somewhere. Her in a white summer dress, him in khakis and a white dress shirt untucked. It was a picture of the two of them kissing with what they could only assume was a minister of some sort standing behind him. The email contained only one line.

"_The Halperts will be back in a week_."

No one was surprised and Michael teared up a little before he told Dwight to shove it and that everyone else should just get back to work and let it be.


End file.
